Does this look like a worm belly, or a normal kitten belly!

[Eleyna]

For reference, we just adopted this little 7mo old a little over a month ago, and we noticed she had some rancid farts & poops. We took her to the vet at that point and, although they didn’t see any in her fecal sample, she was treated for coccidia and given a one time dewormer. Now, a month later her litter box activities are about 50% less smelly, but I noticed her belly looks like this. Does this look like the swollen belly of a cats that has worms, or just a normal, well fed kitten belly? I’m not super experienced with kittens, so I’m not sure!

 

[Caspers Human]

I wouldn't call myself an expert but, in my experience, if a cat had a case of worms so bad that its belly became distended, it would be puking them up and you would see them in the litter box. Both of those cases, I have personally witnessed... with cats/kittens and with dogs/puppies.

Your vet did test for worms. While it's possible that they could have been missed, the deworming medication should have taken care of the problem. That's why vets often just deworm even if they don't see signs.

Coccidia? Maybe. Coccidia can be a real PITA to get rid of. It can take a long time.

Cat poop can be really smelly even if they aren't sick from something. It often depends on what they've been eating.

If you have any worries, do call the vet. At least, call and talk to somebody. Or, maybe, a consultation visit where you just sit in an office and talk.

But you have had her to the vet. They have done tests for worms. They have given her preventative medication. There "shouldn't" be any problems. From what I have read in your post, I don't *think* that there are problems. Regardless, you know your cat best. If you do have any worries, the vet is the one to talk to.

 

[IndyJones]

That looks like a normal ribcage. Maybe your cat has a food sensitivity, what do you feed? Canned or dry? Brand? Frequency?

 

[Eleyna]

That looks like a normal ribcage. Maybe your cat has a food sensitivity, what do you feed? Canned or dry? Brand? Frequency?

Just Purina Kitten Chow at the moment - nothing crazy. And we feed her once in the evening and she grazes until the next evening. Typically her food bowl still has a little food at the next feeding

 

[Eleyna]

I wouldn't call myself an expert but, in my experience, if a cat had a case of worms so bad that its belly became distended, it would be puking them up and you would see them in the litter box. Both of those cases, I have personally witnessed... with cats/kittens and with dogs/puppies.

Your vet did test for worms. While it's possible that they could have been missed, the deworming medication should have taken care of the problem. That's why vets often just deworm even if they don't see signs.

Coccidia? Maybe. Coccidia can be a real PITA to get rid of. It can take a long time.

Cat poop can be really smelly even if they aren't sick from something. It often depends on what they've been eating.

If you have any worries, do call the vet. At least, call and talk to somebody. Or, maybe, a consultation visit where you just sit in an office and talk.

But you have had her to the vet. They have done tests for worms. They have given her preventative medication. There "shouldn't" be any problems. From what I have read in your post, I don't *think* that there are problems. Regardless, you know your cat best. If you do have any worries, the vet is the one to talk to.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply! That’s good to know as far as vomiting goes. I haven’t had a cat with worms, so I wasn’t sure whether a swollen stomach is like a first sign or a late sign. Seems like this might just be an overreaction on my part because of her prior treatment, but I’ll keep monitoring her!

 

[danteshuman]

I’m going to refer you to YouTube thekittenlady she did a video about good fat kitten belly & a belly full of worms. When in doubt I vote take them to the vet& deworm them if the vet says they need it.

 

[Caspers Human]

If you're feeding your kitten enough that she still has a few bits left, you're probably feeding the right amount.
Assuming a normal, healthy kitten, you should be feeding them as much as they can eat...more or less. (YMMV )

How is her weight? A kitten will put on a lot of weight as they grow. Of course, weight gain will slow as they get older but even a kitten of ≈ 6 mos. is still growing. Whether her growth has slowed or not, she should not be losing weight at all.

If a kitten gets worms, the parasites will take up nutrition from the food she eats and that will cause her growth to slow to the point where she could lose weight. In severe cases, it can even stunt a kitten's growth. I don't see any evidence from her pictures that she's under weight. Not a perfect indicator but, from appearances, it doesn't look like there are worms. If she had worms badly enough to make her belly pudge out, it probably would affect her growth.

If your kitten is eating right and her growth is good, it's good evidence that she doesn't have worms.

My first cat got a pretty bad case of worms where he would puke them up. They also started showing up in his litter box.
Wormy cat poop is super gross! Once you see it, you'll probably never forget!

I took him to the vet, got him de-wormed and he was okay. I had scooped up a sample of the worms and showed them to the vet. He took one look and said, "Yup!" He gave a pill, right there, and I got some more to give him at home for three days. After that, the worms were gone. No more problems.

You took your kitten to the vet to be checked. You got some medicine, just in case. She looks okay from the pictures you showed. You say she's eating well. She appears to have a healthy weight. You don't see any signs of worms coming out of either end.
I don't see any reason to believe that she has worms. (Of course, your vet is the real expert. That's what you pay them for. )

Good cat-moms care about their cats. You have the right to be concerned. After all, she's your first kitten. Right?

 

[cat nap]

What was the dewormer called?

Here they've used Drontal, Drontal Plus and Milbemax.
But I had to give the dewormers...in intervals...since the Vet said that the first dose takes care of the adults...but not any larval or possibly egg stage. So you give it again...to eradicate...any remaining worms...that the first dose may have missed

Call your Vet, just to be sure.

 

[stephanietx]

It's not uncommon for kittens to need deworming more than once due to the life cycle of the worms.

I would try to work on switching her over to a different food to see if the problem resolves itself.